"Families of the Hanover men executed, Mrs Nienaber's maching machine" Read the full letter
| Letter Reference | Olive Schreiner BC16/Box2/Fold2/July-Dec1899/17 |
| Archive | University of Cape Town, Manuscripts & Archives, Cape Town |
| Epistolary Type | Letter |
| Letter Date | Monday 14 August 1899 |
| Address From | Johannesburg, Transvaal |
| Address To | Girls Collegiate School, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape |
| Who To | Betty Molteno |
| Other Versions | Rive 1987: 373 |
| Permissions | Please read before using or citing this transcription |
| Legend |
The Project is grateful to Manuscripts and Archives, University of Cape Town, for kindly allowing us to transcribe this Olive Schreiner letter, which is part of its Manuscripts and Archives Collections. The date of this letter has been derived from the postmark on an attached envelope, which also provides the address it was sent to. The name of the addressee is indicated by salutation and content. Schreiner was resident in Berea, Johannesburg, from December 1898 until late August 1899.
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1
Monday
2
3Dear Friend
4
5 Thanks for your letter. If war comes I think it cannot break out for
6another 14 days till the troops from India arrive. The English
7government Reitz says have at present 20,000 troops here & with that
8body they would be hardly likely to begin. The others are I believe
9leaving India this week.
10
11 I am sending down my box of MS to your care. Will send it tomorrow.
12
13 I am a little better this morning, but am not able to lie down at
14night, & the continual ^fighting for^ breath tries one so that every
15thing seems dreaming.
16
17 If war breaks out we shall have to leave as Cron’s office will close
18at once. Cron wants to go to his cousin’s farm in the Hope Town
19district where we can board cheaply. I think I would rather go else
20where but will go wherever he is.
21
22 Good bye dear friends.
23 My love to you both
24 Olive
25
26 ^Dr Mortimer has been travelling in the back country seeing about his
27farms, & he says when he spoke of me in the most out of the way parts,
28the old wild Boers always said "Ja ons es banje lief for har." I feel
29so touched by the thoughts of the love of these simple people.^
30
31
32
2
3Dear Friend
4
5 Thanks for your letter. If war comes I think it cannot break out for
6another 14 days till the troops from India arrive. The English
7government Reitz says have at present 20,000 troops here & with that
8body they would be hardly likely to begin. The others are I believe
9leaving India this week.
10
11 I am sending down my box of MS to your care. Will send it tomorrow.
12
13 I am a little better this morning, but am not able to lie down at
14night, & the continual ^fighting for^ breath tries one so that every
15thing seems dreaming.
16
17 If war breaks out we shall have to leave as Cron’s office will close
18at once. Cron wants to go to his cousin’s farm in the Hope Town
19district where we can board cheaply. I think I would rather go else
20where but will go wherever he is.
21
22 Good bye dear friends.
23 My love to you both
24 Olive
25
26 ^Dr Mortimer has been travelling in the back country seeing about his
27farms, & he says when he spoke of me in the most out of the way parts,
28the old wild Boers always said "Ja ons es banje lief for har." I feel
29so touched by the thoughts of the love of these simple people.^
30
31
32
Notation
Rive's (1987) version of this letter is in a number of respects incorrect.
Rive's (1987) version of this letter is in a number of respects incorrect.